Building Setbacks & Zoning in Davis, CA (2026)
3 verified building setbacks & zoning rules for Davis, California, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Setback Rules
In Davis's R-1-6 and R-1-8 single-family zones, side yards run 5 feet interior and 15 feet on a street side, front yards are 20 feet, and rear yards are 20 feet, jumping to 25 feet for any two-story portion of the house. Approved street corridor plans can cut the front or street-side setback to 10 feet.
Davis R-1 District Yard Setback Minimums
Some RestrictionsDavis Municipal Code § 40.03.060(e)(2), (f)(3), (g)(1)
Zones R-1-6 and R-1-8: street side yard, fifteen feet; interior side yard, five feet; side yards of three feet may be allowed if a tentative development plan showing twelve feet between future buildings is submitted by the subdivider and approved by the director. Total side yard, twelve feet, except for projections as permitted by Section 40.27.060. ... Zone R-1-6, twenty feet, except as provid...
Structure Height Limits
In Davis's R-1 single-family district, no principal building may exceed two stories or 30 feet, and no accessory building may exceed one story or 15 feet, unless an exception in Section 40.27.030 applies. The same two-story, 30-foot cap also governs the R-2 one- and two-family district.
Davis R-1 Residential Height Limit
Some RestrictionsDavis Municipal Code § 40.03.050
No principal building shall exceed two stories or thirty feet in height. No accessory building shall exceed one story or fifteen feet in height, except as provided in Section 40.27.030.
Lot Coverage Limits
Davis caps R-1 single-family lot coverage at 40 percent under Municipal Code Section 40.03.060, and separately limits the floor area ratio to 40 percent plus up to 500 square feet of garage or carport space, unless the owner secures a discretionary design review approval to exceed it.
Davis R-1 Lot Coverage and FAR Limit
Some RestrictionsDavis Municipal Code § 40.03.060(d), (h)
Lot coverage. ... (1) Not in excess of forty percent. ... Floor area ratio (FAR). (1) Up to forty percent plus up to five hundred square feet for garage or carport. (2) In excess of forty percent plus up to five hundred square feet for garage or carport with approval of a discretionary design review application pursuant to Article 40.31.
Looking for Yolo County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Davis city rules.
Building Setbacks & Zoning in Yolo County →